Drought Out West
Dagnabit Like always Zack stood on the mast of the ship. He looked over the sea with his hand over his forehead to block the sun, elbow just barely covering the crew's jolly roger. It had been about four weeks since he'd been traveling with this crew, yet, he trusted them with his life. He knew the other crews that took part in that great breakthrough had been way further along than the Busters. Hell, he'd even seen a few new crew's names in the newspaper, but it did not knock his motivation. He had a goal that, no matter how many times he had to stumble, he vowed to reach. One he had been willing to bet his life on. "Henrietta!" He shouted, looking to the grand island in the distance. "Can we dock at the island up ahead?!" Pointing towards the island, his stomach let out a sinister growl. "I'm starving!" Seeing Zack's morning eagerness did not make Bro Dude snarl, not at all, even as he closed his eyes and lightly concentrated, letting himself bask in the sunlight. Still, "That wouldn't be a problem-" He slapped the very air, teeth sharp in a comical manner, "-if we hadn't made our presence known!" The island before they, the Buster Pirates, were actually managing to not draw attention for themselves, they didn't have to steal any milk bottles nor even attack cows. Yet, for some very reason, a fight broke out with some resident Marines and of course they found themselves setting sail after beating the crap out of them. Dude pointed at the oceans that surrounded them, "Furthermore, didn't I risk myself drowning so I could catch you some fish?!" "We are running short on food again unfortunately..." Another woman said, sighing briefly. "I wish we could live off hunting fish, but our dear Captain has to live off milk and fruits, so we are bound to stop on this island." Holland Sherry, the crew's current "chef" was sighing at the recent turn of events. She had just hoped this island wouldn't involve being ambushed by other crews. “That’s because that fucker is the most spoiled, ass brat I’ve ever seen!” Henrietta, the one who manned the helm of the ship, replied in response to Sherry’s statement. “How in the fuck do you only eat fruits and vegetables? No wonder he’s always getting his ass beat every fight. He doesn’t have any protein, at all! Or any fuckin’ calcium either. Doesn’t he use bone powers? How about I get him some milk from my titty, or something?!” Bitter Rosemary currently was eating a fish while sitting on the prow of the ship, watching the surrounding sea. Her cat eyes narrowed as she stared at the island in front of them. As a half-cat mink, she absolutely loved fish. She was more than willing to eat any that Zack would not. "I don't think you have any of that Henrietta." She hollered back at the driver. "But you really should eat protein captain. It's good for you." Pushing from the mast of the ship, Zack flipped and landed onto the deck of the ship. He walked to Rosemary and began to shake her hand vigorously. "No no no," Zack began, shaking his head left and right. "I'm allergic to fish. You're so nice," he squinted his eyes at Sherry and Henrietta. "Those two are mean, so, mean. How can she even offer a tit she doesn't even have? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Eyes widening, he looked to see if Henrietta heard his sly remark. He stood on the railing of the ship and held his hand over his forehead once again. "To be honest, I don't even know where we are going. We need a navigator!" Zack gripping his hair with both of his hands and began to tug on it. "GAH, I DID NOT THINK THIS ALL THE WAY OUT!" He then turned to Dude. "DEVIN WHERE ARE WE?!" Zack paused for a moment. "I got it. Instead of getting just a little bit of fruit. We buy this whole town ou-, wait," He sulked his head into his bare chest, "I don't have any money!" looking to Henrietta, Dude, Sherry, and then Rosemary accordingly, he began to cry. "WHAT KIND OF PIRATES ARE WE?!" "My name is Devin, not Dude-" Dude roared, only to gape and blink rapidly, his head whipped around for a second. "-WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME?!" He stood on something like a fighting position, his hands out as if ready to grab something, but he only snarled. "Without any money, we may as well call ourselves the Busted Pirates now!!" "That means we are bound to find a navigator on the next island we see." Sherry said. After listening to Zack ramble on, she only had a deathly expression on her face that could be read as absolute horror. At one point, Sherry was helpless even with a scary face. Now? Not even Zack chose to raise his words too much around her. "Though, we are also equally bound to potentially losing our way..." “Okay, okay, listen everyone just shut the fuck up,” Henrietta began, stepping from behind her helms to join the rest of the crew momentarily. She put up a single digit. “First of all, I have more titty than that fuckin brat knows what to do with.” Her second finger went up in the air. “Secondly, I don’t ever get lost. I know exactly where the fuck we’re headed. Do you guys remember who you’re dealing with? I’m a fuckin genius!” "Oh yeah?" Zack asked as sarcastic as ever. "Oh yeah?! Then tell us, where are we going? Huh, Henrietta. And how are you so smart?" Zack asked, placing his finger on his chin. "Besides, if you're so smart and you built this stupidly large ship, then why don't you have any money to show for it?" But then, a light flicked on in his head. Hammering his hand into his palm, he acted as though he'd gotten the most intelligent idea. "Alright, when we get to where we're headed. We'll rob 'em dry! If there are any Marines, ya' take em for everything they got. And we'll sell their weapons to those shitty merchants that stand on the side of the road. I don't know, we can say something like. 'This is the same saber Fleet-Admiral Kurama used to slay.. uh... I dun know.'" He looked to each of the members of the crew, "Seems legit, riiiiight?" "So we're going to be actual Pyirates?" Rosemary will ask as she tossed the fishbones into the sea. "Though I suppose I yam already a thief to begin with." She'll muse for a second. As she talked, Rosemary pointed her bow toward the water, looking carefully at the sea while she took aim. With a twang, an arrow leapt from her bow, piercing a fish below the surface, which was quickly hauled back up via the gummy rope attached to the arrow. "You knyow, now that I think about it, what happened to all the money from the fruit we syold?" Opening his jacket, Zack pulled out the devil fruit and held it in his hand. "We never even sold it! What the hell, I forgot!" Holding his head with one hand, he looked up and cried to the gods above. "I MISSED THE APPOINTMENT I HAD SET WITH THE ONE GUY!" Eyebrows lifting, another lightbulb flicked on in his head. "NEW PLAN! We will make sure we sell this devil fruit on this island. But not for anything cheap... we don't even know what it is. I remember I heard Legs and Jack talkin' about a devil fruit they were willing to sell once before." Zack tapped his temple and entered a deep thinking state. "The Ome Ome no Mi, that's its name!" Finally, he got it out nearly blowing a brain cell from how hard he had to think. "Legs said she was gonna' sell it for 100,000,000. Finesse, finesse, we can get three times that." ---- "You best tell your boys, watch how they storm in here, Captain Knauer." Said a woman dressed in a long-sleeve tee-shirt covered by a red cape, bootcut jeans, boots with a gold spur, and a cowboy hat. She removed the cigar from her mouth and dumped the ashes onto the head of one of the Marine soldiers standing next to her. Snickering, she gave the man standing across from her a devious glare. He huffed and patted his Marine Jacket, brushing the dirt from it. "I had to make it seem real, woman. You know what it would cost me if headquarters caught wind of my operations here. I'd be fired and thrown into that hellish realm they call "Impel Down". "Well, the Captain' don't need you and your little Marine girls comin' in here throwin' hissy-fits. It sure would give the rest of us headaches that only a cow's milk could cure." Reaching into her pocket, she drew a silver-framed lighter. She flicked the cap on and off as though it were a time passing hobby. She looked to each of the Marines and then placed the cigar back into her mouth, lighting it with the light in hand. Smoke drifted from it and spread throughout the room. Once the Marines inhaled it, they'd notice that it was not tobacco that had been coming out of it, but something much more settling and relaxing--if you know what I mean. Waving his hand to knock the smoke away, Captain Knauer let out a slight cough. "Now, where's the money that damn Captain of yours promised. I stay out of your business and in exchange, you give us a portion of the profits. Let's make this quick, Martha Jane." Martha the Outlaw Jane, worth 100,000,000, for the documented things she'd done in the past couple of months. Her most recent feats have gone underground, thanks to having the compliance of Knauer who keeps the World Government off of her back. Swooooooooooooooooo, the sound of the woman inhaling on the cigar rang through the room. "You'd best slow yer road, Knauer." She said with a stuffy voice and puffed chest trying to hold the smoke in. "The Captain' ain't here today, I can take as long as I want." Without another moment's breath, she reached to her side with her free hand and gripped her revolver from its hoister with her index finger. Spinning her gun twice around her finger, she stopped it with her thumb and aimed it at one of the Marines while still holding it at her side then pulled on the trigger, striking the man in the right side of his chest with her bullet. It all happened so fast and without access to an extra source of sensory no one saw it coming. "Arrgh!" The Marine cried out in agony, falling to the ground gripping his chest. "Captain! Captain Knauer, help me, please! It hurts." "Quiet you, I'll help you once I receive my payment!" The Captain barked back. "That's how ye treat yer comrades? The Marines sure're a corrupt bunch. Ain't no way they could pay me to sit there and wear that fancy uniform just to be as backstabby as the Pirates." She reached behind the desk she stood in front of and threw a suitcase at Knauer. "Don't bother checkin' it. All of its there and some extra, the Captain' managed to pull off more than he expected this time." Lifting the suitcase, Knauer flicked the latches open and lifted the case slightly to see if there were actually berri in it. "Can't leave something as good as money up to chance. But yes, I agree, all of the money is here and then some. The Yeehaw Pirates are free to continue their operations." Turning around for the door, he instructed his men to lift the shot soldier and carry him out of the room. "Please remind Chuck to not be so vocal in the town though. He does make my efforts more troublesome than I'd like. The people are starting to contact other Marines on the accord that pirates are taking away their family members." "Yeah yeah yeah, I'll be sure to relay it to the Captain!" She responded, returning to her desk as they left. "I get a bad feeling about today..." ---- Henrietta placed her hand thoughtfully on her chin. “You know what, that’s a pretty good idea kid. We could sell that to some stupid fuck like you for so much more than what the spider demon was going to sell it for. Still can’t believe a dumbass like you even know her,” Henrietta replied, pacing around the deck. “And once we do that, you can give me my fucking cut for spending all of the money I fucking had on stupid apples.” Running over to Rosemary, Zack wrapped his arms around her as though he had been terrified. "Rosemary!" He yelled, shivering in his own skin. "I'm so glad you aren't as mean as Henrietta!" Releasing her, he jumped into the middle of the deck among his crewmates. "Wow Henrietta, I can't believe you want to be paid back. I'm confused anyway," He began, scratching the back of his head almost as if he were trying to think of something. "How is it you had enough money to build this big ship, but nothing else to show for it? I dunno' maybe you're in debt?" Shrugging his shoulders, he looked over the ship's main hull to the island they'd been much closer to than he thought. Pumping his fist into the air, Zack smiled wide. "Even then the Rave Skull is sooooo cool! Hurry Henrietta and dock!" As he instructed, though she added an attitude, she did just as he ordered. It took the crew little time to reach the dock and station their ship. Getting the edge over the rest of his crewmates, Zack jumped from the ship onto the land and stretched his arms out. "FINAAAAALLY!" He shouted, looking at the many folks of the island. This was something he hadn't been accustomed to or ever seen before. Most of the men around wore hats, jeans, and long-sleeved shirts and pistols at their hips. The women wore dresses as though they prepared themselves for weddings. Scratching his head once again, he looked to his crewmates. "Where are we again?" "I hyave no idea," Rosemary said as she dug into her new fish. "Maybe Henrietta may knyow?" "We appear to be on a desert island. I suppose I should start stitching up some clothing appropriate for the occasion...or is that not necessary?" Sherry asked, looking around at the arid sand and feeling the hot wind touch her skin. "At this rate, we're bound to be completely dried out before we even find someone else..." Dude sighed again, holding his hand from yeeting Zack. "It's common courtesy to pay her back... but, anyway," Looking ahead into the docks and the island itself, Dude maintained a normal expression. "That could be very good, Sherry-dono..." After all, the citizens before them had a pattern to themselves, "Because this is Wildweyst, it's a very cultured place!" Oh, how those kind of places prompted a smile to sprout on Dude's face, they sort of reminded him of his own home. More or less. Henrietta sighed and shook her head in disagreement. "Unlike the fuckin kid over here, I don't got no melanin," she explained, gesturing towards Zack. "His dark ass ain't going to burn here, but I am. So, how about I just chill here on the ship and let this little fucker run around the desert." "I wyouldn't mind some different clothes, Shyelia." Rosemary commented between bites of her new fish. Technically her summer dress wouldn't be terrible in weather like this, but she preferred to blend in after all. "Also Hyenrietta, couldn't you just use a pyarasol?" "YES!" Zack shouted, running over to Sherry's side. I want one of those cool cowboy outfits like the people here!" Nodding his head, "Yep, I'll blend in just like the rest of the- wait?" He held his hand under his chin and looked around to the welcoming town of the island. "I'd need some cool boots like theirs, I dun think Sherry can make boots. I want the cool spinning thing that guy has on his." Slamming his hands together he let out a laugh. "But we need money..." He looked to Sherry who'd already weaved the clothing necessary for the crew to which the lot of them returned to the ship to put on. The young pirate Captain wore a long-sleeved button-up collar shirt and a pair of blue jean pants with his normal shoes. Like the people of the town, he also had a brown-brimmed hat and a holster for his revolver. Waving at his crew's Shipwright, he called out to Henrietta. "We'll be back, Henrietta. Keep the Rave Skull revved up for us." As he stepped back on the land, Zack looked around what immediate landscaping of the town he could see. Shops, an infirmary, hotels, and etc all typical things you'd expect in a town. But the thing that stood out the most was the saloon. It read "Wild Saloon" and Zack pointed towards it running off in a full-fledge spring leaving nothing but dust behind. "Going here first!" "Why would you even wear hats like this..." Rosemary said as she fumbled with the hat. Sherry may be great at making clothing, but a hat like this had one fatal weakness for the half-mink. Her ears were currently covered up by the hat, and that bothered her immensely. As Zack made his declaration, Rosemary didn't hear him at first, only noticing when he stormed off. "whyat did he say he was doing?" She asked the others. "Oh I'm so sorry Rosemary-san! I didn't realize I covered your ears with this hat! This is completely my mistake!" Sherry profusely apologized and bowed. Her outfit was probably the strangest one out of the crew. She wore her classic oriental attire, but it was split into a top and bottom as opposed to being a single flowing piece. Like the other crewmembers, she also had a brown-rimmed hat, with hers stylized with a small rose on the right-hand side. "Here, take my hand Rosemary-san, and I'll restitch your hat as we walk!" "This is all culture, guys," Dude said, walking by Zack's rear in order to keep tabs on him, "No one else coming?!" Pretty much failing to realize he didn't dress himself in whatever clothes Sherry had given, Dude continued to sprint. Regardless of it, his clothes kind of looked like the residents', though they were too dark. "Zack!" Dude extend his hand out for his captain before he could enter the shop, even though he wasn't close enough to catch him. Places like these, well, any place in the Paradise of Grand Line could easily warrant trouble. Especially if one was new to them, like Zack was, given the many confusions from the islands they had visited prior to this, Dude had no doubts something would happen. Saloon Coons Bursting through the saloon doors nearly knocking them from their hinges, Zack slowly entered the facility and as he did, all eyes were on him. He took slow steps, hand gripping onto his waistline which had been occupied by a belt-like holster that garnered his flintlock revolver. Hand gripping the top of his hat, Zack approached the first table his eyes fell upon. Lifting his foot, the dark-skinned boy placed it onto one of the chairs and leaned on that same knee, tilting his hat back so that everyone could see his face. He'd been completely embracing and playing this cowboy role as though he were a paid actor. "Hows it go in this town," Zack began, his grammar and English much worse than usual, "I reckon this heres the best place to get rest up ad get a bite in this place." Clearing his throat, he turned his head to the surface of the table and spat inside of an empty cup. "Y'all don't wanna make a liar out of me now do ya'?" From behind the counter, a bartender had been cleaning a mug with a white rag. "You'd have to try it yourself, cowboy." "..." Sherry sighed in exasperation. In the first moments of reaching this island, Zack had already made it clear they were foreigners and alienated them. "What would you recommend for a meal?" Sherry asked the bartender, hoping that he could look past Zack's confrontational behavior. "GAH," Dude held in a large gasp as he bashed through the door, face planted on the floor, many eyes fell upon him. He swiftly got up, "I... tripped when I entered." Dude waved, some people snickered, yet, his expression remained unchanging, even as some bruises were over it. Without another second, Dude brushed his hands over his clothes. Both Sherry and Zack had arrived before him, despite his full bloom sprint, but Dude didn't spare them a glance, there wasn't even a need for it. Zack had already interacted with the townsfolk, the flame had been lit, it was just a candle for now. Approaching the bar counter, Dude put some notes over it. "I'll pay for these two, whichever they choose, sir." "I'll buy a fish if you have any." Rosemary added as she stood next to Dude. "It'll be nice to have it cooked for once." Jerking his head behind him, the bartender signal the workers to prepare a meal for Rosemary. Continuing to clean the mug within his grasp, he looked upon the members of Zack's crew. The Captain, Bro Dude, Sherry, and then Rosemary. "I'll see so it that I can get the rest of you ladies and gentlemen a decent meal as well." The bartender stated, holding his hand out in the open. "For visitor pirates," he said, squinting his eyes, "We give our first meal on the house, just to show off the Wildweyst's hospitality. Please take a seat!" he offered, hand still pointing towards the open seating of the saloon. "Is it possible that you all are pirates, my good sir?" Finding a table in the clear, Zack sat in one of the many seats and turned to face the bartender. "Yep." The teen first responded to his question of whether or not they were a pirate crew. "With this crew, we're gonna' be the strongest on the sea. You'd better get a good look at our faces. Devin--a master assassin, Rosemary--the greatest sniper, and Sherry--, Sherry scares me." Turing back to Rosemary, he held his hand out. "Rosemary, a mint, please. Oh, oh, sir, can I get some fruit with my food please!" Nodding his head, the bartender continued to squint his eyes before walking behind the counter to where the rest of the saloon could not see him. "I guess I can make mint-flavoured kyandy," Rosemary commented as she rubbed her palms together. a greenish goop spouted between her fingers as she molded the mint candy into a piece of gum. "Hyere you go, Zack." She said as she handed him the mint gum. "So what did he say about the food?" Rosemary asked as she sat down at the table, "Hyearing through this hat is hyard." "Still insisting that's my name..." Dude muttered, shaking his head to the sides, while insistent, at least Zack held some manners. Looking out at the bartender, he yelled, "I'm good with anything, sir." It only took the bartender's workers a total of twenty minutes to prepare their meal and before the Buster Pirates were served their food. Placing everyone's plate in front of them, the waiter bowed at the group with a keep eye. "I hope y'all are pleased with the meals. I put grandma's homemade seasoning in it." Smiling from ear to ear, Zack clapped his hands together and nodded at the man's statement. Lifting a spoon from the table, Zack began to devour his food as though he were some sort of untrained monkey. Juices flying everywhere and meat stuck to his face, Zack lifted the glass of soda and chugged it down his throat without thinking about chewing. While Zack had been taking the time to stuff his face, a man dressed much like he has had pulled up a seat next to the crew at their table and leaned over it. "Slow down there, kiddo. Ya' got plenty of time to eat. Even Pirates need a little time to rest every once and a while." Looking to Rosemary, then Bro Dude, he asked, "What's the name of your crew?" Grandma's seasoning, Dude frowned and shrugged at the same time, recalling the many times his two grandmothers fought each other to see whose meals were the best. This bartender's grandmother must have been really kind to allow him to use her own receipts, Dude indulged himself in the meal. Its contents filled his mouth and went down his throat. After gulping it down, Dude took the chance to answer the bartender in Zack's place. "We're called the..." He blinked a bit, licking his lips, "...Buster Pirates, sir." Green ears twitched at the smell of the food cooking, and Rosemary looked on with a hungry gaze at the kitchen door while the group was waiting for the food. As her crewmate talked, Rosemary nodded along to dude's comments before adding in "Nyep, we're all part of them," Rosemary confirmed as she started to cut into the fish. "Zack's the captain, or is that Shyerry..." She said between filets. "Then Bro's the Dude. Then there's Hyenrietta, but she's not here right now. Then I fish a lot." She said talkatively to the interested man. "Syo what is this seasoning? This is a good fish, so i am kinda curious about it." Before the man could answer the question, the doors of the saloon flung open. A woman dressed in her own cowboy-like attire entered the saloon fingers locked onto the brim of her brown hat. Her brown hair frolicked behind her as she tooks steps into the place, lifting the cigar up and down with her lips. As she stepped across the scene, her eyes had caught a look at the entire saloon. From the men playing cards in the far corner to the worker slacking on his job behind the counter. Pointing her finger at the saloon owner who'd still, even after all this time had still been cleaning the glass cup. "Ya know, that's gonna' cost you, right?" Without granting the man a proper chance to respond, she approached the table occupied by the proudly proclaimed Pirate Crew. She looked to the frequent visitor of the saloon and tilted her head. Sighing, the man tilted his hat at the woman. "You got it, miss." He responded, pushing off of the chair and standing to his feet, holding it out so that the woman could take a proper seat in it. Taking the man's seat, she pulled the cigar from her mouth and tirled it between her fingers before looking to the crew. Quickly shifting her eyes to the ceiling, she blew a cloud of smoke from her mouth before she'd finally chosen to speak to the crew. "I hate to see such a young crew of pirates. The sea ain't safe for y'all.. disband while you can." Still going full throttle on his food, Zack didn't let her words slow him at all. Gulk gulk gulk, he cleaned the glass of juice as though he had the neck of a giraffe. "No way lady!" He said, his words shaded by his mouth full of food. "I'm gonna' beat my mom and kick her to the curb to take her spot as Yonko!" Swallowing all he had in his mouth, bones and all, he wiped his mouth with the backside of his hand. "And I need this crew right here in order to do it!" "Well bend me over and smack me on my fat ass, I didn't know it'd be a cute lil ole' boy such as ye self." The woman said, still flipping the cigar between her fingers. "And to be so determined with a mouth full of food, now that's intriguing. Tha' names Martha Jane, how about y'all?" Swallowing everything in his mouth, Zack stuck his chest out and pointed to himself. "Me, I'm Buster D. Zack! Captain of the Buster Pirates!" Rosemary gave a curious ear twitch towards the comment about Zack's mother, but decided to ask him about it later. Turning in her to address the new arrival, she added to Zack's statement with a polite bow, "Nyi'm Rosemary, it's nice to meet you." "Ah, hello." Sherry also bowed with Rosemary, though she sent a deathly glare at Zack soon after. "My name is Holland Sherry. This place is wonderful." "Quite a respectable person!" Dude said to Jane, a smile gracing his lips quite easier than ever. "My name is Bro Dude, the name is odd, but unique. Pleased to meet you," He extended a hand towards her. Lifting herself from the chair, she gripped the front of her hat with her index and middle fingers. Tilting it at Bro Dude who'd been extending his hand out for a shake, she greeted her in this island's native way and gave the group a grand smile. "Well, I'll be seeing you Buster Pirates around!" Turning her back, she took a puff of her cigar. "If yalls get some time, maybe y'all should come our further west. Great sights out that way. Though it's kinda' far, y'all gonna need to get some horses to go out there. Stop by Ernie's shop and tell 'em Jane sent ya'. Hope I'll see y'all soon." Smiling and lifting himself from the table as well, Zack waved at Jane. "Okay, thank you big breast nice lady!" Before looking to his crew. Rubbing his stomach he smiled and looked to the bartender, "That's meal was great sir! I've gotta come back here once I have a full crew. Hey..." Zack said, walking over to the counter and leaning up to it. "You wanna join my crew?" Shaking his head the man chuckled, "My apologies, I have no intention of joining a pirate crew." "Awww, can't get 'em all!" Looking to his crew he clapped his hands, "Alright guys! Let's go to that Ernie's Shop and head west!" Without allowing his crew a chance to respond, he rushed outside of the saloon and stood in the middle of the pathway. "T-Thank you sir!" Dude hurried out of the table, almost stumbling upon the chair's legs, which made him frown. He bowed slightly at the bartender and focused at Zack. "Wait, don't go ahead again!" Dude called out, approaching him. "Why would we just head there without asking for information first?" He blinked for a moment, shaking his head. "Because Zyack never plans ahead." Rosemary commented as she set down her fish. She bowed to the bartender, "Thank you for the meal myister." Rosemary dashed out of the building, aiming to catch up to the their fearless leader. "Wyait for me, Zack!" Out West "MOVE IT!" A man shouted, pointing his rifle at the heads of many chained people, pushing them with the tip of his rifle. "Hurry the fuck up, this money ain't gone make itself y'all. Unless y'all want me to call Buffalo out here! Get your asses to work!" These people had all been working on an assembly line within a small factory. While the specifics of it couldn't be seen, on the line of conveyor belts apples traveled across. On the other side of the factory, there were hundreds of cowboys lined up. Their berri had been clenched tight and held high, passing it to the workers at the door as they pushed people in the cowboys' possession. The man shouting at the workers smiled wide. Turning away from the workers he walked into an enclosed room and entered a hidden latch which took him downstairs. Taking a seat behind the desk, he lifted a Den Den Mushi and dialed someone who, without any moment of hesitation, picked up. "What is it, John?" The voice asked. John laughed, leaning up against the back of his chair nearly falling over. "Everythin' goin' great, Capt. Supposedly Jane is sending a group of Pirates our way. Some rookies, how should I go about handlin' em?" On the other end, John's Captain was silent for a moment. "Oi, their Captain, I heard that name before. Well, not his damn name, but that last name. I've heard it countless times before when I youngin'. Buster D..." he said drawing a blank, but whatever it was he'd been trying to say, it was on the tip of his tongue on the verge of coming out. "Nope Capt, ya' might be just gettin' old! How'dya want me do take care of them?" "Don't sell 'em short. If they make any suspicious moves, put a bullet in their fuckin' brains." His Captain said, hanging the Den Den Mushi up. --- Finally arriving in the West, Buster D. Zack and his crew walked into the town on their horses slowly. There was life in the town, but it was nothing like the one they'd ran into when they first got onto the island. There were hundreds of people actively moving around in the previous town while this one was lacking. Halting his horse, Zack looked across the town scoping it out. Leaping from the horse's back, he patted its rear gently. "Aww, I wish we could ride horses as Pirates instead! Ships are overrated, at least you have a soul, Horsey." He said before turning to face the rest of his crew. "Ya know, now that I think about it... Why'd we come here again?" "YI don't know, I just followed you..." Rosemary shrugged from her own horse, a small grey one, "We went to that general store yand they gave us the horses. Wonder why they wanted us to go all the wyay out here thyough?" "You need to stop doing that!!" Dude almost slapped the back of Zack's head, his own horse buffing at Zack as well. "Horses, as living beings, are worn out by us riding them. Ships don't get tired, Captain." Though, was Zack truly serious? He was the first to suggest they go there. "We came here to find that shop," Dude commented, eyes narrowed towards Zack. With a beat of his legs, he ushered his horse to walk on, so that he would approach some citizens. "Should we ask around?" Eyebrowing lifting, Zack turned to face Dude with a confused smile while closing his eyes. "That's just the thing though, Devin." Zack paused, rubbing the back of his head. "I dunno' what shop we are supposed to be looking for here. Besides," he paused yet again turning back around to look to the somewhat baren town. BOOM one of the doors came crashing down in the dead town and out from the rubble was a horse. Not too far behind was a man chasing it, gripping onto his hat so that it didn't flow in the wind. "Hey! Get back here!" He shouted, pulling out his revolver and firing at it as though it were some stray animal in the wild. The two ran past the Buster Pirate and the man continued to fire off rounds hoping to strike the horse. Zack could not sit idly by, crossing his arms in front of himself, his body weight decreased and almost as though he had achieved a new level of physical enhancements he disappeared before the rest of his crew into an afterimage of himself before catching up to the man and the horse. Extending his arm out a vine of bones shot from his palm altering its shape before ultimately taking the form of a cage. Dropping his hand, he slammed the cage over the horse halting it from going along any further. Zack turned around and faced the cowboy with his hand behind his head. "I'm sorry, it looked like you needed a little help." Bone Buster said harmlessly and genuinely. Even then, the man had a frown on his face. Walking past Zack, he pushed him in the shoulder forcefully moving him out of his way and because Zack's weight had decreased, he nearly fell to his side. "Mind your own damn business kid, don't come around here snooping in folks' shit. Y'all gone on and move along with y'all selves, we don't need more trash 'round here." "Hey you western dick!" Zack shouted, his smile replaced by anger. "I just wanted to help. You should be lucky I don't kick your ass right now!" Walking over to the boned cage, the man noticed that he was incapable of moving it. With his revolver out again, he shot a bullet at the horse causing it to neigh in pain. The horse began to kick up against the cage in attempts to run free as the blood ran down its legs and sunk into the soil. "HEY! Why are you being cruel to that hor-" before Zack could finish his sentence, the horse began to light up before its shape slowly transformed into a human. Dude lowered his weapons, having suddenly taken them out by the moment that the man spoke with animosity towards Zack. "Huh?!" He yelled once the horse wailed in pain and took out his weapons again, the horse trashed around Zack's cage, however, no further was said, for the horse was no horse. "Oh." Dude uttered, a bead of sweat rolling down the left side of his face. "He is a Zoan user." Straightening his posture, Dude clutched the handle of his weapons still, his eyes changing from the horseman to the gunner, he took but a few steps and stood to Zack's side. "This isn't a simple horse chase, Captain," Without glancing, Dude commented to Zack. Then, Dude just decided to address the man again. "What was that for? Who are you two?!" "Why yare there so many guns..." Rosemary almost cursed under her breath at the shot. She began rubbing the inside of her ears as they twitched from the ringing. Guns always messing with her hearing, though at least the hat helped with that. "Zyack, can we just gyo back? I don't like it here," Rosemary asked her captain quietly. She pulled out a piece of gum as she waited for a response, stuffing it and several others into her cheek until it looked like a chipmunk as she awaited his response. Horse Zoan or no, this place just kinda gave her the creeps, or was that just the ringing in her ears? "What's happening..?" Sherry said on guard. "A Horse Zoan...and people hunting it. This isn't a place we should bind ourselves to...untangling ourselves from these threads would be difficult..." Sherry didn't put her weapon up, as she didn't want to alert others that she was armed. Instead, she began to furiously sew with one of her hands behind her back, beginning to create a small knife that nobody would expect to seriously hurt them. John looked to each of the Buster Pirate crew members before moving to the man. Whipping a set of cuffs from behind his back, John slapped them onto the man to where instantly he fell to the ground. All while this happened, John kept his eyes on the pirate crew before him. Though he said nothing initially to them, he was aware that this was the crew that Martha Jane had reported earlier. "Y'all should mind your own business," John said, his eyes squinted as he spat out to his side. "Or get the hell out of here while you still got the chance." Zack's bones began to disappear as John continued to speak, "You made a bad rang-dang decision comin' out here on the West." He flipped his pistol over his finger once again, though this time he placed it on his hoister. "I'll say it once more time." With a rough hand, he grabbed the man by the shirt and jerked him around like a rag doll. Dragging the man along the dirt path, John frowned. He walked between the gap the crew left with the Zoan-user tight in his grip. Even though he listened to all John had to say, Zack paid no attention to his advice. "What do you mean? Hey!" Zack shouted, running over to John who'd nearly escaped their view. Yet, in that same moment, he reached John a strike to his abdomen sent him flying back across the path well past the rest of his crew into an abandoned building. A billow of dust follow his destruction, covering a large area of the town as well as providing a decent enough screen to block out the Busters' vision. John had continued on his walk, leaving the Buster Pirates to fend against his cards at play. Hoofs banging against the ground could be heard in the distance and after a few moments, they had already gotten closer. "N-n-neeeeeeeeigh!" Cries could be heard within the cloud of dust before a sudden breeze of wind pushed it aside. In the place of the dust cloud, fourteen horses stood, blowing hot air from their noses so think that he began to form into steam. Each horse was of the same breed and their bloodshot eyes had been locked onto the Buster Pirates. Almost as if instructed by their herder, the kicked against the ground to scuff their bottom of their hoofs. Each leaned back and rushed towards the crew, ready to strike them how necessary. "!!!" Dude's eyes almost shot out of his skull and he gritted his teeth, even before the horses came into sight, their many galoops filled their ears and ringed inside their heads. With his two hands, he sought to at least grasp Zack and Sherry which were by his sides and, then, jump through a push of both his legs. Sweat appeared over his frame, his muscles tightening at the weight of his crewmates. It would be a straight jump, so that the distance would be closed in even faster than normally and he would go far up. That way, the three of them would rise above the entire herd and avoid being stepped on for the time being. With that, Dude yelled, "RUSH PAST THEM WITH YOUR POWERS!" "And Hyow do you expect me to do that!?" Rosemary yelled in exasperation as her companions took for the sky. But even if she couldn't escape that way, she wasn't out of options. Rosemary began loudly chewing her gum as the pony beneath her began panicking at the onrush of horses. Rosemary blew hard, a bubble expanding out from her mouth rapidly as she formed a gum bubble wall between her and the herd. As the beasts plowed into it, they'd find themselves quickly slowing, struggling against the devil fruit infused bubble as it resisted their charge. "Kyandi Kyandi Bubble Byall!" Rosemary announced as she directed her pony to gallop off to the side, aiming to run around the herd. Flipping to free himself of Devin's grasp while in midair, Zack pulled his leg behind himself while keeping his glance focused on Rosemary ensuring she had been safe. Spinning, wind gathered around Zack as though he were trying to create his own tornado. The density in his slung back leg's bone increase by two. "Bone Drop Kick!" He exclaimed, falling to the ground while simultaneously pulling his leg down. As he crashed against the ground, he shattered the contacted earth sending a crack through the earth which spread out like a nerve system, causing the horses to fall into the crevasses. The kick resulted in a shockwave of air pressure which lifted even more debris into the air, but it served its purpose of halting the horses from continuing any further. The horses neighed while the dust was in the air. Zack bounced back with a backward somersault and taking up a fighting stance. Onc the debris cleared completely, in a single area, the group of horses had vanished only to be replaced by a group of unconsciousness men and women bruised and scarred from head to toe. Dropping his stance, Zack burst into a dash across the ground to approach the group of fallen people. Dropping to his knee, he lifted one of the men ensuring that they were still alive. While he knew there wasn't much he could say to those he had just attack he couldn't help but feel bad for his actions. "Y'all a rowdy bunch, ain't ya?" A familiar female voice said in the distance, approaching the Busters and the devil fruit users. As she came into complete view, they would notice and depict this woman to be Martha Jane, the cowgirl they met at the bar and the one responsible for leading them here. Zack, on the other hand, had ignored her entrance and instead kept his attention on the people around him. Gripping the man, Zack looking into his closed eyes. "I knew there was something up with that last guy he took. Just what the hell is going on?" While his words hadn't been fully directed to anyone, Zack sought the answer from, not Jane, but the rest of his crew. His eyes fell onto each of the members individually as he asked, "Are you all, alright?" Dude coughed repeatedly once the dust caused by Zack's impact upon the ground exploded forth, most of the little town had been covered in it, he had surely grown stronger. A smile bloomed by his lips as he watched it. Approaching the small fissure, Dude crossed his arms and frowned. "Just like the first... these are no horses, they are all users!" He pointed out, looking at the other Busters. Eyes upon Jane, Dude responded Zack. "I'm well... as for this woman, she did send us here, of course she could know where to find us." Then, he intensified his gaze into a glare. "Now, why did you send us here?!" "Maybe it was just a Tyap this entire time," Rosemary commented with a shrug. Jane tilted her hat, "Aww, what an observant Mink." She said, tossing her hand to her hip before walking over to the unconscious group of Zoan users. "Looks like that damn John don't goofed up and let a stray of them out. This is why the Cap. shouldn't let little boys lead the heard." Shrugging, Jane released the brim of her hat. "Though, observant, are y'all sure it was really a trap, or was it something else." Folding her arms across her chest, she began to walk away from the group while waving her hand at them goodbye. "They say perception is a reality. But, y'all should also know that damn reality can be deception too." As Jane disappeared into the distance, a man dressed in the white drapes of the Marines accompanied by John--the man who'd just been with the group moments ago. The Zoan user John had shot moments ago had seemed to no longer be with him and he instead by a friend of Marines who, from a direct point of view, would appear as though John had called him in efforts to arrest the wanted criminals. "Just enough time..." John said, smirking to the group. "I told y'all get the hell out of 'ere while y'all still could." Looking to the Marines at his side, he smirked even more. "Commander Aves, let's kill 'em and get this over with before Captain Knauer and Chuck get back from their meeting." "Oh yes, yes, data!" Aves said, holding his head up high to look at the Buster Pirates. "Oh, oh, John-data! Are we allowed to damage the merchandise too, data?" "I'd rather damned damaged goods, than an angry captain, Aves. Do what you want. I'll take the little kid with the brown hair. You take the others." "Copy that, copy that-data!" Sticking his neck out even further, Aves pulled his lips together and inhaled. Opening them to where they looked as though they were creating some sort of hole, he spat out a rapid-fire of small oval rock-like objects from his mouth at Dude and Rosemary. "I got Nyit!" Rosemary announced as she started to rub her hands together. An almost goopy sound started to squelch from between them as she created the goop that her fruit was known for. Purple sludge began to form and squish out of her hands as she kneaded the candy between them. "Kyandi Kyandi Gummy WALL!" She shouted as she pulled her hands apart, the goop flooding out from between them as it stretched and twisted in front of the projectiles, the rocks striking the wall of gum with dull thuds, their momentum being killed by the gooey candy. "Dyude, you're up." She continued urging her companion to respond while she had defense covered. Devi- Dude gave her no answer at all, nor did he allow himself to even think further on the newly arrived opponents, he dashed from around the barrier, feet kicking no dust up even as they touched the ground several times. Marines working with Pirates, as if, the former were only good at exherting that thing they oh so called Justice. A dagger flew to his mouth, Dude grasped its handle with his teeth, eyes still set on the two enemies in front of him. His hands were bare now, but, their veins were visible, muscles budging from within his clothes, yes, with his two hands Dude was ready to deflect any upcoming attacks by directly intercepting his opponents. Then, when they would maybe fall under the prey of his grapple, Dude would rotate himself and, by extension, his neck. Dagger's blade properly positioned, with this movement, Dude sought on slashing Commander Aves cleanly across his gut and shoulder. In the steps it would take Dude to get from his initial point to where Aves was, the Marine commander would begin to transform as he had already prepared himself for battle. His five-eleven figure began to grow perpetually larger to a little over six feet. His humanoid figured changed into that of a big bird. Around his neck was a long yellow ribbon and a visor-cap around his head. It had yellow and orange feathers sprouting from its body and a purple body-like suit on. He had taken on the full transformation of his Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Ostrich meaning he had no intentions of going easy on he opponents before him afterall, they were pirates. Though it seemed slow, it all happened instantly, as Aves launched himself at Dude ready to take him head-on. Lifting his leg and forcing the growth of his claws, Aves met with Dude's slash picking up a gust of wind screeched from the clash of the two powerful men, pushing each of the back a bit increasing the gap between the two once again. Aves leaped into the air and continuously to leave after images of himself all above the pirate duo. "I can't leave Captain waiting, data." Lifting his right-wing in a swiping manner, Aves released a bombarding wave of shuriken and kunai at Dude and Rosemary. ---- "What the hell are you all doing?!" Zack asked as he balled his hand into a fist that caused his nails to bury deep into his skin. Veins traveled all along his temple as he released the man from his grasp and stood to his feet to face John. John twirling his pistol over his finger, the stopped the handle with his opposing palm holding the pistol in a two-handed style like a old western-styled weapon. "What makes you think imma' tell y'all? Y'all young pirates really are full of your fuckin' selves. Why tha' hell would you wanna help people you don't even know? Stormin' in 'ere on Yeehaw Pirates' territory as though y'all are allowed to, do you know what the captain's gonna do when he gets his hands on yall?" With a frown, John began to shout. "DO YOU HEAR ME KID?! I GAVE YOU A OPTION TO LEAVE! YALL ARE GONNA' FUCKIN' DIE HERE! MY BOUNTY IS HIGHER THAN ALL OF YALLS! 60,000,000! NO ONE IN THAT SHIT SHOW YOU CALL A CREW HAS ONE HIGHER THAN THAT! I CAN KILL YOU WITH A SINGLE SHOT AND TAKE THAT PROPERTY BACK! ALL OF THEM!" "I said I wasn't gonna' tell ya? Well, fuck that, let me tell you how knee-deep in shit y'all is!" John exclaimed, "The Yeehaw Pirates specialize in the production of Artificial Horse Zoan devil fruits! Those that can't pay their fuckin' taxes on this island are taken and force fed the artificial devil fruits and then sold to the buys on the northern side of this island where they do all kinda' shit. It's business and a lotta' money you stickin' y'all nose into! And I don't know if she thinks we don't know, but that bitch Jane..." John began to spit with anger and excitement, though he said he would tell them a thing, he allowed his emotional frustration to take over and monologue. "We know about her ploy! She was never in this shit how we thought, its why we always left her to deal with the Marines in trading them money in exchange for their cooperation. After I deal with you, the Vice-Captain has given me orders to kill the bitch!" All while John had been shouting loudly, Zack had his head dropped. Though it seemed as though he had zoned John out, he had in fact been listening to everything the cowboy said. "So, you've been kidnapping people from their homes and the lady didn't lure us into a trap, she just wanted our help in taking you monsters down?" Zack trembled before his skin turned red and he brought his arms across his chest. "Marrow Shift..." the density in his bones lowered once again like before, "Then I'll kick your ass, free these people, and get Jane out of here away from all of you!" Almost in a blink, Zack disappeared thanks to his increase in speed only to reappear in John's space with his fist drawn back. The density of his hands had increased by four times their normal density. "Rock Wrecker!" he shouted, thrusting forward into Johns abdomen sending him flying across the dirt ground in the blink of an eye. Before even having a chance to move, Sherry was already completely outpaced by the other members of her crew and was left watching in awe as the enemy Pirate was dealt with. Although she was angered at herself, she held back her emotions and stayed in a defensive stance, looking for an opening to enter. Rosemary looked at the man that Zach had put on the ground with an almost bemused expression, "You dyo know that dude also has a 60,000,000 bounty right?" She said as she began kneading her hands again. This time, her signature bow began forming as she waited to see what would happen next. Once they clashed, even if for a brief moment, Dude's eyes widened and a small push washed over his body. Feet skidding against the ground, he let the dagger fall to his hand and gritted his teeth afterwards. What even were those movements that this man was using? On top of that, he had been a Zoan user. "Rose!!" Dude yelled back at her, giving out no further words, no necessity to. Instead, Dude spun his body through the swarm of projectiles, alternating his speed here and there to accomodate to a specific projectile or wave of them. And even then, some of them grazzed by his skin, cutting it open and drawing a minimum of blood, yet, Dude did not stop, weapon in hand, he deflected some of the other weapons and rotated until he would be near Aves. With his blade's movements, Dude got it on the middle hole of several shuriken. Using his left hand to firm his right one, he moved the both of them upward, blade in hand, which released the shuriken back into action and towards Aves. Rosemary spurred her pony forward, guiding the beast with her knees as it ran around in panic at all of the commotion going on around it. But she wasn't about to leave the noble beast to fend for itself as she raised her bow. Goop trailed from her bow to her fingers as she readied her shot. Twang Her bow snapped forward as the first arrow let loose, striking a shuriken head-on. The projectiles clanged off each other, bouncing to the side as they ran face first into more of the hail of weapons. Rosemary's horse pranced around as she focused on shooting down the weapons that would hit the two, ignoring all others as she fired with every ounce of speed she could until her last arrow broke, through, the twanging projectile coming in right on the heals of Dude's. Category:Role-Plays Category:EmperorSigma Category:DamonDraco